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Earlier this week, Microsoft introduced two additional subscriptions subscriptions to partners that will try to sell them.

The couple is participating in an increasing number of subscription agreements, such as Redmond, Wash. The company has modeled on the Office 365 pattern. The new plans even contain the "365" mark, which Microsoft sees as a collective identifier.

Microsoft 365 is as CEO Satya Nadella introduced Monday "A fundamental departure in how we think about product formation" Composed of, at least at least two plans. The more expensive, the Microsoft 365 Enterprise, is simply a new name for an annual, two-piece product called "Secure Productive Enterprise E3" and "Secure Productive Enterprise E5." These SKUs (inventory units) were introduced to Microsoft's 2016 party conference. Like SPE, the M365 Enterprise throws Windows 10 Enterprise, Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility + Security into a bucket.

But "Microsoft 365 Business" or M365 Business for Cards is the more interesting of the two plans because it is actually new. Nadella thought the same. "I'm so excited about the product innovation you want to see today about small and medium-sized businesses," he said during a two-hour keynote before partners.

So what is Microsoft 365 Business? It's the new deal Microsoft will push later this year after an unspecified time in preview, starting August 2nd.

Windows 10 Business: According to Microsoft, "Windows 10 Business is a set of cloud [based] services and device management features that complement Windows 10 Pro, enabling Microsoft's centralized management and security 365 Business. "The services and tools include a subset of them from Intune, Microsoft's enterprise mobility management (EMM) platform and Windows AutoPilot, an automated deployment service bundled with Windows 10's March 2017 feature upgrade, aka 1703 and Creators Update .

How much does M365 Business cost? $ 20 per User per. Month when launched later this year.

It is $ 7.50 per. User per. Month more than Office 365 Business Premium, or an additional $ 90 per Uses annually. For that amount, customers receive the difference between the two plans: Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro and the various management components.

Who is Microsoft 365 Business for? According to Microsoft Plan, "is built for small and medium-sized customers with little or no IT resources on the employees."

Although companies of any size can purchase M365 Business licenses, a customer can not buy more than 300 subscriptions, another signal that it targets small and medium sized organizations.

The limited management tools also play the topic in question. They are designed to be easy to use and offer only basic functionality and are available through simple control panels, which they may have already used for Office 365.

What is Windows 10 about upgrading to M365 Business? Good question.

Microsoft's descriptions of this component have been outlined so far. A comprehensive Company Q & A on the subscription plan had the most information and said: "If you have devices licensed for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 Professional, Microsoft 365 Business delivers an upgrade to Windows 10 Pro." (The "Professional" tag contains Windows 7, but 8 and 8.1 are called "Pro" instead, as it is Windows 10.)

Computerworld could not upgrade further details about the upgrade , Specifically, what happens when a customer cancels a M365 Business subscription or leaves an expiration. Do devices upgraded from Windows 7 Professional to Windows 10 Pro, the last license? Or is Windows 10 license revoked and forces customers to reinstall the previous operating system?

Microsoft refused to answer questions about this scenario, and analysts who had been informed by the company said that license issues were not discussed in Microsoft's presentation.

The issue of expired subscription requires coherence. When customers leave a subscription, Office 365 says that applications and services generally retreat to a state of reduced functionality or stop working completely. Something similar happens after a subscription to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 lapse. "When a subscription license expires … the Windows 10 Enterprise device will steplessly return to Windows 10 Pro," Microsoft says in a support document .

In other cases, Microsoft does not & # 39; T remove an upgrade. Customers who have subscribed to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 can upgrade devices equipped with Windows 7 Professional or 8.1 Pro, for Windows 10 Pro; If they later leave the E3 or E5 plan, [10459015] remains the Windows 10 license permanently .

Which of these options remains – cancellation or storage – is unclear in case of M365 Business.

Which management tools include M365 Business? Enough, Microsoft says, to adequately serve small and medium-sized businesses.

Automatically update and upgrade Windows 10-pcs using Windows Update for Business

We have heard that there is an example of M365 Business. What is the deal? Yes, there will be a preview available from Microsoft, said Wednesday, August 2nd. Preview will be available from this website . Users can actually sign up for preview on that page.

Although there is no charge for preview, Microsoft recommended that potential customers contact their preferred Microsoft Partner – or find one . Interestingly, Microsoft said that "Devices running Windows 7 [Professional] or 8.1 Pro are eligible for upgrading to Windows 10 Pro in Microsoft 365 Business Preview." It was unclear whether this upgrade would be retained or retracted at the end of the preview.

What does M365 Business require? According to Microsoft, Windows 7 Professional PCs are "probably the minimum requirements." However, only Windows 10 devices can be managed in M365 Business, a powerful motivator to equip as many systems as possible with the newer OS.

The second important prerequisite for the subscription – Azure Active Directory (AAD) – is required to enforce user and device policies set in the Admin console and for other tasks, such as. AutoPilot setup. Microsoft acknowledged that Active Directory works locally with M365 Business, but "it is not recommended."

Telltale Games Minecraft History Mode Season 2 is now available on Xbox One and Windows 10 . In particular, the first episode of the fifth season is now alright, with the rest of the episodes coming later.

The second season continues the story of the first, after Jesse and friends on a new adventure. From game description:

Now, when Jesse and the gang have overcome the stormy storm, save the world and become completely super famous heroes, life has become a little more … complicated. With more responsibilities and less time for adventure, old friendships have begun to fade – at least until Jesse's hand is stuck in a creepy dress belonging to an old underwater temple. Together with old friends and new comrades, Jesse starts a whole new journey filled with hard choices, good times and at least one temperament lama.

Minecraft Developer Mojang has previously noted that decisions you made in the first season will actually transfer and affect parts of this new season. This season also has a voice cast that includes Patton Oswalt, Catherine Taber, Ashley Johnson and Scott Porter, along with cameos from YouTubers Stampy Cat and StacyPlays.

If you are jumping into Telltales latest, taking a narrative adventure in the Minecraft universe, you can download the first episode for $ 5 on Windows 10 or buy the entire season (with additional episodes later) on Xbox One for $ 25. There is unfortunately no Xbox Play Anywhere support so you must buy the game twice if you want it on both platforms.

Windows 10 S is Microsoft's latest version of its Windows operating system. It's designed for students, and it's supposed to go on Google's Chromebook and Chrome OS ecosystem. What this means in practice is that 10 S is a more locked version of Windows where users are only able to install Windows Store applications. For the front page, by requiring applications to come from the Windows Store only, Microsoft can do a lot more to make sure the Windows 10 S is a fast and secure operating system.

In today's cloud-based world, your web browser is almost a more important choice than your operating system. If you are in Windows 10S, it means that you are stuck using Microsoft Edge. Google does not make Chrome for Windows 10 S, and even if it did, Microsoft will not let you set it as the default web browser. Microsoft's Edge browser is not my preference, but it still works for most of what you need to do. I work almost completely web-based, and between writing and browsing I have not really worked into problems. Flash is also available at 10S, although Edge will disable it by default, even on pages like the Microsoft Store.

However, the biggest irritation with Edge imports user data. While Edge on ordinary Windows can import bookmarks and other data from installed browsers, Windows 10 S can not grab data from other browsers. It's messy, but the easiest way to get all your Chrome or Opera data for Windows 10 S is to export bookmarks to an HTML file and import them manually. Alternatively, you can get another Windows 10 computer, sync your Chrome settings, import them to the edge, and then sync them to your Windows 10 S machine.

Similarly, Edge does not conveniently store any of my usernames or passwords, but using a password management service like LastPass (which works across the platform and is available through Windows 10 Store) will help with To simplify the process.

Frustrating, Windows 10 S is still Windows at the core so sites will still ask you to install apps (Yes, Google, I prefer to use Chrome but I can not! ), And installers Will even download the download as they normally would. You just can not install anything outside the store. Microsoft must redirect users to the Windows Store when they try to download .exe files on Windows 10 S, but it is unclear how far it is implemented and there is clearly more work to be done to make it clear to consumers .

Music

Hereafter we have music. Of course, if you use Microsoft's Groove Music service, you're already good at going, but I suppose it's about fewer people than Microsoft wants. More likely you are a Spotify user. While you may have been forced to use a mobile version of the Spotify app at a time, Microsoft now offers the standard desktop version of Spotify in the Windows Store so you can use it as you would any other computer.

If you are an Apple Music subscriber, you are out of luck right now. Apple does not offer a web player so you need iTunes. However, at Build 2017, Microsoft announced that it has reached an agreement with Apple, and will soon offer iTunes on Windows Store although we still do not have a fixed date for when it happens.

Of course, all web-based services like Pandora, Google Play Music, YouTube Music or Tidal will work fine in Edge.

Word Processing

If you buy a Windows 10 S machine, there is a good chance that you are a student or professional who needs some word processing at some point. Since this is Windows, you will probably use Microsoft Word to do that.

This is where things get a little complicated. Microsoft offers two versions of Office for Windows 10 S right now: A "preview" version of the full desktop office now available through the Windows Store and mobile version Office that Microsoft created for mobile devices like tablets and phones. (The mobile versions are hidden in search, but you can find them here .) Which one you are using is a matter of preference, but if you can Offering some of the more advanced features of Word and PowerPoint, I personally think that the mobile version is a little more streamlined to get things done quickly.

If you are not an Office 365 subscriber you will not really be able to use either a version of Office. In that case, Google Docs which you can access via Edge, probably your best bet.

Finally, if you're just looking for a quick text editor, Appy Text is the right way. It's free, fast and even supports markdown, making it perfect for jogging of quick notes or, say, writing guides for importing to your site's publishing system.

Something frustrating when you save documents in the cloud, you're pretty stuck with OneDrive or using web apps to access services like Dropbox or Google Drive – while you can install a Dropbox app from the Windows Store To view your files, you can not sync them without the full desktop app that you can not install on Windows 10 S.

E-mail

Microsoft's own built-in mail app is quite good, even with Gmail. There are also few options in the store, but your best bet is to just use Gmail in Edge and enable desktop notifications that allow you to receive regular Windows notifications.

Entertainment

Edge still works and for some reason you have a pathological reluctance to Netflix Hulu and most of the other video services have dedicated Windows Store apps. No matter what, you will be able to binge watch just fine.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Gaming

There is no way to get to your Steam library on Windows 10S, but you have access to the Windows Store for games, which is not so serious that Microsoft now pushes the Xbox Play Anywhere program to Cross-purchase between Xbox One consoles and Windows PCs. However, it's not that big deal, but if you're running Windows 10S, the computer you're using is probably not built for gaming anyway.

Image and Video

Can you do it in Paint? Paint is installed! You've even got Paint 3D! None? Okay, you have Photoshop Express in the store, which may clamp for a bit of light image editing, but if you try to do seriously creative work, Windows 10S is probably not the operating system for you.

Give up and install full Windows

See, you tried to run through Microsoft's hoops. You did it really! And you did it well. But fortunately, Microsoft also offers a upgrade from Windows 10 S to the full version of Windows 10. Check The Verge's Guide Here to get full Instructions on how to do it – even if you do not use a Surface Laptop, which currently offers Windows 10 Pro upgrade for free, there is a one-time $ 49 fee for the upgrade.

On the other hand, we see you across Google Chrome and Adobe products.

My Windows Vista PC works perfectly and I have Kaspersky Internet Security. I have been told that I need a new PC because I could get a virus now, as Microsoft no longer supports Vista. A new PC that replaces the one I have costs about $ 1,200. And it's a pity when I'm not having trouble, but I'm worried it might be hacked. ksallatt

I thought that I would write about Windows Vista that Microsoft stopped supporting on April 12th. However, the questions continue, and this week, other three have made me return to the frog.

I also agree that it's good to keep the kitten running, even though hard drives tend to fail as they grow older and old PCs are not as effective as modern machines. (They use more electricity, but no more than a filament lamp.) No matter how you do not buy a new machine, you can upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 or 10 or even Linux.

Vista works well

If your PC is running Vista well, it should also run Windows 7 or better. To check compatibility, download Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor . If the result is positive, buy a Windows 7 upgrade or a full copy of Windows 7 – they are the same. There are many sources for cheap copies of Windows 7, but as always, be aware of it.

Overall, I think it's best to upgrade to Windows 10 which is significantly safer than Windows 7. Microsoft does not support upgrades from Vista (launched in January 2007) to Windows 10 (July 2015)). The distance is too wide. Therefore, there is no upgrade advisor to test it. But if your pc is running Windows 7, it will probably run Windows 10.

Microsoft supports an upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 so you can always try it without buying a copy of Windows 10. If that does not work well, you can easily roll it back to Windows 7 as long as you shop For 30 days. Then, [10459024] Windows 10 removes its backup of the old operating system to save space.

Regular readers can remember that I recommended moving to Windows 7 as quickly as possible (especially from Windows XP) and keep it as long as possible. But after two years of Windows 10, I think it's much better.

If you hold Windows 7, remember that support ends January 14, 2020. It will give you two and a half years after which you may want to buy a new PC.

If your PC can not run Windows 7 or 10, you can always try Linux. I recommend Linux Mint . This will not run your existing Windows programs, and you will have to learn many new things. The transition becomes easier if you can do most things in a web browser and if you do not need any Adobe, Microsoft or Apple software, including iTunes. There are replacements, but they involve some victims and even more learning. It depends on how much you appreciate your time.

Jos is in the same boat as ksallatt. His HP has a 2.4GHz Intel Q6600 processor and 2GB of memory. Q6600 has a PassMark benchmark score of 2971 so this is a mid range PC that could run Windows 10 well, but I highly recommend upgrading the memory. Use Crucial's System Scanner to check the upgrade options, but I would dump 2GB and install 8GB.

In fact, given the current state of Chrome, Google must provide free 8GB upgrades to anyone using it.

Jan and Rob have a Dell Inspiron 530S laptop with a 2.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 with 3GB of memory. The E8300 has a PassMark score of 1996 primarily because it has two cores instead of four. This drops into " low mid range " table.

The Inspiron 530S is definitely running Windows 8.1 so it needs to run Windows 10 and there seems to be drivers available. While 3GB is less memory than I would like, you run 32-bit Vista now, so 32-bit Windows 10 should be OK. You would get better performance by installing more memory (some models could take 8GB), upgrading to 64-bit Windows, and replacing the hard drive with a 2.5in SSD (solid state drive). Use Crucial's System Scanner to check the upgrade options and then decide if it would be better to put cash on a new laptop. Your Dell may be 10 years old. These things do not last forever.

Jade has an Acer Aspire 5610-2328 laptop with a 1.6 GHz Pentium T2060 processor, but she does not mention the memory. From the show I would guess 2GB or even less. The T2060 PassMark score is only 675 which puts it on the " low-end " table. Frankly, I'm looking for a minimum score of at least twice that and 10 times what's preferred. (My current Dell desktop, purchased in 2011, scores 6,282.)

Jade, you could upgrade Acer with more memory and an SSD, but it's really not worth it.

I do not recommend Linux because you say you are "not good at all computer stuff". However, as you use your PC for social media, YouTube and the like, you can probably replace it with a cheap Windows 10 laptop (preferably with 4GB memory) or a similar Chromebook . You have used your iPhone instead of your PC, but are there any things that the iPhone can not do? If not, you may also consider replacing your PC with an iPad .

Microsoft has also maintained the well-known loophole for people who need "utilities" like the magnifier, screen reader and keyboard on screen.

Of course, you still need to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 first.

There are two other ways to install Windows 10 directly by making a "clean installation." This removes Vista and all your programs and data, so you need to make backups before proceeding.

The first: Join the Windows Insider application. This allows Windows 10 for free to act as guinea pigs for error testing. The downsides are that it is full of telemetry, there are quite a few buildings, and of course it is buggies than the version used by paying customers.

The other is to install Windows 10 without activating it. You will get a watermark on your desktop, you can not personalize it, and a few features do not work. However, it is a perfectly usable system, far more secure than using a piracy of Windows, and it costs the same as Linux .

Microsoft may change the rules at any time. It can close the loopholes and make non-activated copies more painful to use. But it wants everyone on Windows 10, so it can not squeeze down for a while.

Earlier this week, Microsoft introduced two additional subscriptions subscriptions to partners that will try to sell them.

The couple is participating in an increasing number of subscription agreements, such as Redmond, Wash. The company has modeled on the Office 365 pattern. The new plans even contain the "365" mark, which Microsoft sees as a collective identifier.

Microsoft 365 is as CEO Satya Nadella introduced Monday "A fundamental departure in how we think about product formation" Composed of, at least at least two plans. The more expensive, the Microsoft 365 Enterprise, is simply a new name for an annual, two-piece product called "Secure Productive Enterprise E3" and "Secure Productive Enterprise E5." These SKUs (inventory units) were introduced to Microsoft's 2016 party conference. Like SPE, the M365 Enterprise throws Windows 10 Enterprise, Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility + Security into a bucket.

But "Microsoft 365 Business" or M365 Business for Cards is the more interesting of the two plans because it is actually new. Nadella thought the same. "I'm so excited about the product innovation you want to see today about small and medium-sized businesses," he said during a two-hour keynote before partners.

So what is Microsoft 365 Business? It's the new deal Microsoft will push later this year after an unspecified time in preview, starting August 2nd.

Windows 10 Business: According to Microsoft, Windows 10 Business is a set of cloud [based] services and device management features that complement Windows 10 Pro and enable central management and security management by Microsoft 365 Business. "The services and tools include a subset of them from Intune, Microsoft's enterprise mobility management (EMM) platform and Windows AutoPilot, an automated deployment service bundled with Windows 10's March 2017 feature upgrade, aka 1703 and Creators Update

How much does M365 Business? $ 20 per user per month when launched later this year.

It's $ 7.50 Per user per month more than Office 365 Business Premium or an additional $ 90 per user per year. For that amount, customers receive the difference between the two plans: Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro and the various management components.

Who is Microsoft 365 Business for? According to Microsoft Plan, "is built for small and medium-sized customers with little or no IT resources on employees."

Although companies of any size Relsen can buy M365 Business licenses, a customer can not buy more than 300 subscriptions, another signal that it targets small and medium sized organizations.

The limited management tools also play the topic in question. They are designed to be easy to use and offer only basic functionality and are available through simple control panels, which they may have already used for Office 365.

What is Windows 10 Upgrade? All about M365 Business? Good question.

Microsoft's descriptions of this component have been outlined so far. A comprehensive Company Q & A on the subscription plan had the most information and said: "If you have devices licensed for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 Professional, Microsoft 365 Business delivers an upgrade to Windows 10 Pro." (The "Professional" tag contains Windows 7, but 8 and 8.1 are called "Pro" instead, as it is Windows 10.)

Computerworld could not upgrade further details about the upgrade , Specifically, what happens when a customer cancels a M365 Business subscription or leaves an expiration. Do devices upgraded from Windows 7 Professional to Windows 10 Pro, the last license? Or is Windows 10 license revoked and forces customers to reinstall the previous operating system?

Microsoft refused to answer questions about this scenario, and analysts who had been informed by the company said that license issues were not discussed in Microsoft's presentation.

The issue of expired subscription requires coherence. When customers leave a subscription, Office 365 says when applications and services generally retire into a functionality feature or stop working completely. Something similar happens after a subscription to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 lapse. "When a subscription license expires … the Windows 10 Enterprise device will step down to Windows 10 Pro," Microsoft states in a support document .

In other cases, Microsoft does not & # 39; T remove an upgrade. Customers who have subscribed to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 can upgrade devices equipped with Windows 7 Professional or 8.1 Pro, for Windows 10 Pro; If they later leave the E3 or E5 plan, [10459014] remains the Windows 10 license permanently .

Which of these options remains – cancellation or storage – is unclear in case of M365 Business.

Which management tools include M365 Business? Enough, Microsoft says, to adequately serve small and medium-sized businesses.

Automatically update and upgrade Windows 10 PCs using Windows Update for Business

We have heard that there is an example of M365 Business. What is the deal? Yes, there will be a preview that starts, says Microsoft Wednesday, August 2nd. Preview will be available from this website . Users can actually sign up for preview on that page.

Although there is no charge for preview, Microsoft recommends that potential customers contact their preferred Microsoft Partner – or find one . Interestingly, Microsoft said that devices running Windows 7 [Professional] or 8.1 Pro are qualified for upgrading to Windows 10 Pro in Microsoft 365 Business preview. "It was unclear whether this upgrade would be retained or retracted at the end of the preview.

What does M365 Business require? According to Microsoft, Windows 7 Professional PCs are likely to meet the minimum requirements . " However, only Windows 10 devices can be managed in M365 Business, a powerful motivator to equip as many systems as possible with the newer OS.

The second important prerequisite for the subscription – Azure Active Directory (AAD) – is required to enforce user and device policies set in the Admin console and for other tasks, such as. AutoPilot setup. Microsoft acknowledged that Active Directory works locally with M365 Business, but "it is not recommended."

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Windows 10 works best with more disk space. Although it is not optimal to run Windows 10 from a 16 GB or even 32 GB SSD, the OS has some tricks on the sleeve that allow you to run on devices with sharp storage space, such as. Tablets. It's not so painful when you take the right steps.

Live Smile

Microsoft designed Windows 10 so its own files could be reduced in size without using disk compression. Overhead packing things reduces performance, but it can mean the difference between being able to work with the device you have and to buy a new one.

Compression of Windows 10 files is simple: Type CMD in the search box, right-click CMD and run as administrator. When you have a command line, enter COMPACT.EXE / CompactOS: always and press Enter . To undo the entire agreement, type COMPACT.EXE / CompactOS: never . You can also choose to compress the data on your main drive.

How effective one of these will be depends on the medium you are using. Many SSDs are already compressing data so you can not see much of a reduction. If so, …

Move Your Libraries

Many low-power computers expand their storage with SD or MMC cards. Windows 10 considers these as external / temporary storage. Strictly speaking, it's correct: You can process the drive as a secondary hard drive, but it can be removed and it can cause problems. Whether you can redirect your Documents, Music, Pictures and Video Libraries to this other drive.

There is a complete Answer Line article dedicated to this here, but in essence, right-click on the directory you want to move, click Properties select the [194591501] and point the library to the secondary drive. I strongly recommend that you create a folder with a suitable name like My Libraries and not just use the root level.

Install Apps for the Secondary Drive

Most programs allow you to change the Destination Directory that allows you to install them on a secondary drive. In general, this requires that you select the Custom or Settings option when you first run the installer. This method is very effective in reducing the overall footprint of your Windows installation.

Use portable apps

Even if you install programs for the secondary drive, they can still install DLLs or whatever – not your C: drive, or write temporary Data and settings there. Portable apps, however, go from wherever you place them and restrict their configuration and temporary data to their installation location.

There are several of these around than you might think and while many are free, the legality of some you might find may be questionable. If you have a license for the full version … that's all I can say about it.

To comment on this article and other content of PCWorld, visit our Facebook page or our Twitter feed.

Jon is a Juilliard-trained musician, self-taught programmer and long time (late
70's) computer enthusiast who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Have you ever wondered if you are running an upgrade or clean install of Windows 10? In this guide we will show you how to tell.

Windows has received many releases over the years, and if you had the same computer for a long time, you probably went through a lot of upgrades.

If you're ever curious to see the upgrade history that led to the latest version of your system, Windows 10 does not disclose such information. However, you can use the registry to accurately determine whether you are running an upgrade or clean installation of Windows 10 and how many times a new version of the operating system is installed.

In this Windows 10 Guide we review the steps to use the registry (without having to change anything) to check what type of installation you have. In addition, we help you answer other questions, such as Where was the original version installed on your device and how times an upgrade was applied with the exact date.

How to check Windows installation information

To determine if your device is running a clean or upgrade installer of Windows 10, use the registry with these instructions:

After completing the steps, you will receive the answers to a number of questions:

Does your PC have a clean or upgraded installation of Windows 10?

Within Setup you will find a number of keys (folders). If you see the Upgrade button, your installation is an upgrade. This key could have been created during an upgrade process from a previous version such as Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 or under a Windows Update Feature Update.

Otherwise, if the Upgrade key does not exist, run a clean install of Windows 10.

What was the original version of Windows installed on your PC?

If your installation is an upgrade, you can find out which original version was installed on your device or at least the oldest upgrade since the last clean installation.

Next to the Upgrade key, you will also see one or more Source OS keys corresponding to each upgrade your device went through. You can navigate each key to determine the version (such as Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7) that you upgraded from by viewing ProductName String.

You can also determine each feature update that was used for Windows 10 by looking at ReleaseId String. For example, if you run Creators Update one of the Source OS keys must contain a string with the value 1703 . In addition, you may find a key if you refer to 1607 if you at any time installed anniversary update and 1511 to November Update .

When an upgrade was used for your PC?

You have probably noticed that each Source OS key also has a timestamp, this indicates exactly when the installation took place.

This could be valuable information that may be useful in many scenarios. For example, if you If you're experiencing a problem, knowing exactly when your device was upgraded, you can specify a compatibility issue with the newer version.

How to keep track of Windows Insider Preview builds

If you have a computer enrolled in the Windows Insider application, you can also track information about each building used for your system.

The Setup key lets you quickly determine what times a Windows 10 Insider Preview was installed on your device. Additionally, in all Source OS key, you can check other information, such as. The full name of build, build number and version by looking at BuildLab CurrentBuildNumber and ReleaseId Strings.

While you can quickly determine the current version you are driving by comparing the time stamp in the keys, the version you are currently running will also be displayed within Upgrade .

Alcatel IDOL 4 Pro with Windows 10 is now ready for pre-ordering in several European markets starting today. Alcatel IDOL 4 Pro is available directly from Microsoft, and is only a rebranded Alcatel Idol 4s, launched last year in the United States.

Packages and Snapdragon 820 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, the Alcatel IDOL 4 Pro is one of the latest flags available running Windows 10 Mobile. It has a 5.5-inch AMOLED 1080p screen and a premium glass / metal body.

The only real difference between IDOL 4 Pro and Idol 4s is that Idol 4 Pro does not come with a VR headset. Alcatel IDOL 4 Pro costs £ 419.99 in the UK and € 479.99 in Germany.

Alcatel IDOL 4 Pro Specifications

Category

Features

CPU

Snapdragon 820 | Quad Core CPU @ 2.15 GHz

Display

5.5-inch FHD AMOLED Dragontrail 2.5D Glass 180 degree display

Memory

64GB ROM 4GB RAM microSD

Camera

21 MP Behind 8 MP FF Dedicated Camera Button

Video

4K @ 30FPS 1080P @ 60 FPS

Battery

3,000 mAh Quick Charging 2.0 420Hrs Standby 15Hrs Talk

continuum

Yes

Windows Hello

Yes (Fingerprint)

Audio

Dual Speakers with Hi-Fi Surround Sound

Dimensions

153.9 x 75.4 x 6.99 mm

GSM Band

850/900/1800/1900

LTE Bands

1/3/7/8/20 / 28A / 38

Wi-Fi

802.11 a / b / g / n / ac Wi-Fi Calling 1.0

Bluetooth

BT 4.1 A2DP, OPP, HFP, AVRCP, PBAP

Alcatel IDOL 4 Pro is still a big handset for Windows Phone fans, and is probably one of the last Windows 10 Mobile handsets that will be made to the platform. IDOL 4 Pro launches on July 26th, will you pre-order it?

Microsoft offers a comprehensive set of Group Policy objects for managing Windows 10 computers. Only one handful – 12 to be precise – is specific to Windows 10 Enterprise.

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Nevertheless, the 12 Windows 10 GPOs can go a long way in IT's attempt to control users' desktops. Group Policies allow IT to enable Windows Spotlight, prevent lock screen from showing, manage startup layout and more.

Administrative Template Files (ADMX) where the Group's policies live, consist of structured extensible markup language (XML) that provides a language neutral reference to each policy. The files work with language-specific resource files (ADML) that contain the current display name and help descriptions for these policies.

A quick introduction to the ADMX file

Each ADMX file contains a set of related policies that correspond to a policy path in the Group Policy Structure. For example, the CloudContent.admx file includes the policy Configure Windows Spotlight on Lock Screen . If IT Professionals use Group Policy Editor on a Windows 10 machine to view local group policies, they would find the policy by the following route:

User Configuration indicates the scope of the policy, which in this case is User. If the scope was Machine, the first item would be read Computer Configuration . A policy may be available in the scope of use, machine scope or both.

Windows 10 GPOs can go a long way in IT's efforts to control users' desktops.

Administrative Templates are common to all policies in the ADMX files. As a result of this structure, both Computer Configuration node and User Configuration node are in the Group Policy editor, where each node contains the subnode Administrative Templates .

The remaining elements in the policy path are specific to the policies in a particular ADMX file. In this case, the elements correspond to Windows Components> Cloud Content to the CloudContent.admx file that contains the Configure Windows Spotlight on Lock Screen along with other policies.

Each policy has a friendly display name and a formal reference name. Configure Windows Spotlight on Lock Screen is the display name in this example. The reference name is ConfigureWindowsSpotlight . The ADMX and ADML files use the reference names to sync with each other. The screen name appears only in the current ADML file and is the name that appears in the local group policy editor in Windows.

The following sections provide an overview of the Windows 10 Enterprise Group Policy that is specific to the version of the operating system based on their ADMX files.

CloudContent.admx Template File

CloudContent.admx file contains more policies related primarily to Windows Spotlight, an option to display different background images on the lock screen and automatically display suggestions for Windows 10 features. Some of them are exclusively Windows 10 GPOs.

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Learn to Learn Windows 10 Guide to Employees

The guide starts with a brief introduction slide that discusses the features of all new windows 10. Then, the new start menu explains all its features in multiple slides.

Continue, features like Task View and Virtual Desktops are also discussed briefly. The following features are affected:

Security Features: People upgrade their computers to Windows because of the latest security technology included in the updates. Thus, this guide also covers some of the latest security advances in Windows 10. It introduces Windows Defender Security Center and guides on how to run it.

Windows Hello : This is the latest addition to Windows. Windows Hello allows you to log in to your computer using a fingerprint sensor or face recognition. You can also pair a companion device as a smartband or smartphone. The Tap-to-Pay feature is also available, but not supported in all countries. The guide also covers some other advanced security features in the following slides.

Cortana: Cortana was another most featured feature on Windows 10. The guide covers some basic details about Cortana and how can it help people at work. The slides also contain a short list of things you can say to Cortana, and you can use her notebook.

Microsoft Edge: Edge is the latest addition, most users are unaware of its features. The guide includes extensive Microsoft Edge and its features. The wizard also makes a point of security features and discusses how Edge can collaborate with Microsoft Office 365.

Office 365: If you are a business user, you will probably get Windows 10 for Office 365. And this guide covers Office 365 and how to use it with Windows 10. Use this guide, Can you also Get started with OneDrive for Business . Some features of the Office 365 and OneDrive features are covered by this section.

Other Features: The last part of the presentation introduces some other new features like the new settings app. And the new Windows Ink. You can learn more about other applications like the new Sticky Notes and Paint 3D.

The last couple of slides are about the latest Microsoft devices. You will learn about devices from Surface Family. And how to use them in different modes that are available. And the wizard also tells about Windows Mobile features like Continuum.

The tutorial is quite amazing and it will definitely help some people get started with their new computer. Click here to download this guide from Microsoft.